US 6,658,680 · Granted 2003-12-09
The Hospital Bed That Thinks: Hill-Rom's Motorized Siderail System
Imagine a hospital bed where the side railings aren't just static safety bars—they're connected to a smart controller that can manage them electronically. This patent covers a bed frame with motorized head and foot siderails that a controller can operate, making it easier for hospitals to adjust patient safety features without manual labor.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a hospital bed system that integrates a motorized control mechanism for head and foot end siderails. What's protected here is the specific configuration of a bed frame, deck, and mattress paired with electronically controlled siderails that connect to a central controller. Anyone making a hospital bed with this same motorized siderail architecture—where the rails can be raised, lowered, or positioned via electronic control rather than manual operation—would potentially infringe on this patent's scope.
Why it matters
Hospital beds are high-wear, high-liability equipment. Automating siderail control reduces manual handling, lowers nurse strain injuries, and improves consistency in patient safety protocols across shifts. For Hill-Rom, a major hospital furniture manufacturer, locking down this controller-plus-siderail design meant competitors had to either license the patent or design around it. Even modest improvements in hospital workflow automation can justify significant patent investment when multiplied across thousands of hospital purchases.
Real-world use
Every time a nurse raises or lowers the safety rails on a modern hospital bed using a bedside button or wall-mounted control panel, she's using technology covered by patents like this one that eliminate the need to manually crank or lift each rail by hand.
Original USPTO abstract
A bed for a person is provided. The bed includes a frame, a deck, a mattress, a pair of head end siderails, and a pair of foot end siderails. The bed further includes a controller configured to be coupled to the head and foot end siderails.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,658,680
- Filing date
- 2000-12-29
- Grant date
- 2003-12-09
- Assignee
- Hill-Rom Services, Inc.
- Inventor(s)
- OSBORNE EUGENE E., KOENIG JOHN W., SUTTMAN GLENN C., VISCA MATTHEW, WILKER, JR. JACK, WELLING JEFFREY R., BRANSON GREGORY W., KRAMER KENNETH L., DICKMAN, JR. BRUCE E., VALVANO DEAN M., KINKER, JR. ROBERT A., JACQUES, II WILLIAM L., FINDLAY JAMES K., GANANCE FRANCIS C.
- CPC class
- A61G7/015
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